Some critics wonder why Ohio State's offense, in particular quarterback Terrelle Pryor, seems to
have more fizzle than sizzle. But receiver Ray Small said the Buckeyes just keep wondering when
it's "going to explode."

"We could always just explode at any given moment with Terrelle as the quarterback," Small said
yesterday.

If his waistband play sheets ignited, there would be quite the fire. The past several weeks,
Small said they've been loaded.

"We've had 107 plays on the play-call (sheet), which I've never seen since I've been here," said
the senior, who added a normal list last year had about 60 plays. "But that's just opportunities.
We've got Terrelle. We can do a lot of things."

But there are not 107 totally different plays.

"Some are (the same) plays run different ways," running back Brandon Saine said. "All through
camp they are putting in different plays every day, and just with repetitions, you get used to
it."

In the past couple of years, they might have had the same number, Saine said, it's just that now
they're all "on the wristband, so they're easier to use." The problem has been the execution.

"We go all the way back to consistency," Small said. "That's what we try to do in practice. We
try to be more consistent with our offense."

For example, "With Terrelle at quarterback, it's kind of hard as a receiver to just run your
route you've always got to be on the lookout. At any given moment he can just break out. That's why
I say our offense is a lot more explosive, because Terrelle can make a lot more things happen."

As for the play list, there's a little bit on it for a lot of people, Small said.

"We've got so many athletes," he said. "This team is very athletic. It hasn't shown at this
point, but at any given moment it can be exposed because we've got so many players who are
elusive."

But are there too many plays?

"Week in and week out, you get used to it, because that's what Ohio State does: They prepare you
for any situation," Small said. "We've been three weeks in (now) with 100-something plays, so we're
kind of getting used to it."

Herron out

Coach Jim Tressel said yesterday that running back Daniel Herron, the starter at the beginning
of the season, likely will miss Saturday's game at Purdue because of the high ankle sprain he
suffered against Illinois. After sitting out the following game at Indiana, Herron tried to play
Saturday against Wisconsin and aggravated the sprain.

That leaves Saine and freshman Jordan Hall as running backs who have played. Tressel said former
fullback Jermil Martin might be the third player on the depth chart.

Tackles galore

Offensive linemen Jim Cordle and Andrew Miller could be back in the rotation. Miller missed the
past two games because of illness, believed to be the flu. Cordle missed the past four games
because of a foot/ankle injury. They were the starting tackles -- Miller on the left, Cordle on the
right -- the first two games.

Sophomores Mike Adams, on the left side, and J.B. Shugarts, on the right, stepped into the
starting roles the past several weeks, though neither gained high praise after the Wisconsin
game.